In Summer
by alpha aquarii
Summary: In summer we are a little closer to ourselves. The marketplace bustles, kites fly, and Ino and Sasuke take a walk. Oneshot, slight SasuIno.


Pathetically, this is the first time I've logged on in 2009. Changed my username and everything. This story's not even newly written, just found on a flash drive and edited anew. I wanted to resurrect this piece for its atmosphere even though I haven't watched or read Naruto in months—anyone seen Kino's Journey? I'm onto that now. Hopefully I get the motivation to write for it.

Con crit encouraged.

_In Summer_

The evening air entranced: a whirl of fall chill, a haze of cloying summer's breath, a thread of August humidity. Shops held their doors open, their flags and banners flickering in the upcoming autumn wind, and the smell of the air changed with every step—whiffs of candied apples and fresh pumpkin, the mild scent of seasoned trout too. Children rode on the backs of fathers, toying with tiny puppets on their fingers. The market square was alive with sights and sounds.

Ino loved Konoha at times like this. Of course, she always loved Konoha, but now the feeling was different, tangible in the pulsing of her fingertips, swelling in her until she met friendly eyes as not a shinobi but a fellow citizen.

In a stall she bought a bag of roasted nuts coated in hot sugar whose crystals crunched in her mouth, and across from her, a figure leaned out of a bar and waved to catch her eye. It was Asuma, Kakashi beside him, both leaning heavily against the counter. If possible, her spirits lifted even higher, and she waved back before continuing on.

When she looked up again, she spotted Sasuke ahead in the crowd. Something sweetly vindictive sparked in her heart, and the next moment she was rushing towards him.

"Sasuke-kun!" The flow of the crowd did not break, but Sasuke stiffened as she draped her arms around his shoulders. He glanced at her, then jerkily resumed walking. She loosened her grip and moved to his side, a casual arm around his shoulder. "Just who I wanted to see! What're you here for tonight?"

"Groceries," he muttered, and she glanced at the white bag in his fingertips held slack by the handles. He inclined his head and walked slightly faster. Smirking, Ino met his speed and upped the volume of her voice by a couple of notches.

"Ah! Lovely evening, isn't it? Almost seven and it's still light out. Beautiful! Although I wish it weren't so humid; my hair is beginning to curl."

Sasuke grunted. She smiled; coy, accommodating.

"I'm glad you're feeling talkative, Sasuke-kun! Keep up the good work—more than three syllables a sentence and I'm sure you'll command the whole village's attention!"

He bristled at her playful sarcasm but matched it with his own. "As if that was everybody's greatest desire."

"Really?" She grinned.

Then she cupped both her hands around her mouth, raised her voice to an ear-shatteringly dramatic volume, and cried, "_Sasuke! For the love of god, put your _shirt _back on!_"

As expected, the entire population of the Konoha market square whirled around as one, eyes roving greedily.

Sasuke kept walking, his shirt still very much covering his abdomen, although he kicked a rock into a pothole harder than was necessary.

Ino burst into giggles and grabbed him by the arm, running blindly through the stunned and disappointed crowd.

"Don't pull me!"

She finally stumbled to a stop, her cheeks flushed. The sunlight glinted off her eyes, mellowing them into spectrums of blue.

"That was so funny, Sasuke-kun!" Grudgingly, he waited to be released, but Ino's hand was secure at his elbow, locking him in place while supporting her own shaking frame. "Just look at all the people who wanted to see you shirtless!"

"Hilarious."

She straightened finally and beamed at him, then glanced around where they'd come to. A toy shop to their right sold paper and plastic dragons, and a small eatery to their left sold egg cups and assortments of stacked jellies. Colorful silk ribbons littered the ground, evidence of a recent celebration. On impulse Ino picked a clean white ribbon off of the ground. It reminded her of the petals of a daisy, of their healthy color, and she tied it quickly into her hair.

Then she met Sasuke's eyes again, an idea blossoming. "Hey, you haven't had dinner yet, have you?"

Warily, he shook his head.

"Great, neither have I! It's a date, okay?"

Sasuke looked distrustful, perhaps with reason, so she added, "Okay, not a date, but come on, Sasuke-kun! You must have worked your ass off training! I know you aren't going to spend any quality time with Sakura or Naruto tonight, so how about it? Just an informal dinner with me?"

She tugged his sleeve. He pulled away with a scowl. "Fine. Just don't pull me."

Ino smiled then. Any thought of frustration or revenge on Sakura disappeared. A large silly grin on her face, she led him through the thick crowd. Lazy heat gilded her skin, slow spilling gold, and she noted happily—sunset. At last.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Without stopping, she heard herself speak aloud. Her words were lost in the sounds of meat cooking, soup sizzling, toys whistling.

It occurred to her then, what they really were versus what they appeared to be. A boy followed a girl through a festive market in summer—that was the big picture, excluding the little details of their scars and loyalties, the hidden kunais in their shirt pockets. Their lives could be so simple.

Ino turned around and her eyes met Sasuke's, and for a moment there was no expression on her face. He looked back at her steadily. Something happened to her then; an unexplainable rush of gratitude flooded her.

Turning around, her eyes alighted on a small shop decorated by red lucky fish. "How about there?"

"Hn." It was a simple collapsible stand from which rich smells wafted. A single man stood patiently at the counter amongst furls of white steam.

She ordered squid-on-a-stick, and he ordered a bowl of rice and meat. The old man fumbled under the counter and served them with a smile. When Sasuke reached for his pocket for money, she stopped his hand with her own.

He flinched and she spoke at the same time. "I'll pay. I dragged you out here, after all."

Cheerfully, she handed the man her coins, and they ate leaning against the wall of an antique shop across the food stand.

Something prompted her to ask: "It wouldn't be so bad just to live as a villager, would it?" Beside her, Sasuke shifted. "Not that I don't love the missions and team bonding and getting my blood all excited. But just living as a Konoha citizen—there would be so much to see, every day instead of only occasionally—"

"What do you mean?"

She nibbled at her squid, leaning back and allowing the sun-warmed wall to relinquish to her some of its heat. "I mean days like these. Imagine just being able to be here in the marketplace every night instead of sneaking around in the dark on missions. Wouldn't it be different? A whole new type of adventure, beautiful instead of bloody."

"And would you exchange that life for your own self-defense?"

"Every time."

"So why don't you?"

"I don't know," she answered. "But I think it might have something to do with the people here."

A few seconds passed before he asked, "What about them?"

She opened her eyes to find him studying her warily. "Well, I can't just leave them on their own, can I?"

She said the words so matter-of-factly that they both fell silent and remained that way as the last of the sun slipped below the horizon.

By the time they had finished eating and returned their bowls to the man at the stand, the first stars had wheeled into the sky and the shops were beginning to close down. Jokingly, she latched her arm around Sasuke's. It was limp but did not pull away.

They walked slower now, her feet taking subconscious steps as she talked. Right before a dessert stand closed, she bought two sticks of dango from it, and they walked towards the end of the market as they ate.

People were flying kites in the darkness. It was one of the prettiest images she had seen in a while, because without the contrast of the light the dragons and butterflies and frogs looked like the real things.

In the park that branched off a side of the market, children were sleeping on the ground and blending into the grass. Their parents and older siblings sat on towels of all shapes and sizes. Families flocked together, and in contrast the two of them seemed ridiculously separate.

Before he could pull away, Ino tugged him along until they were in the emptiest area the park offered. Then she let go of him and sat down. The grass was marvelously warm, so she took off her sandals.

"What are you doing?"

She wiggled her toes at him, giggling. "I had a great time with you tonight, Sasuke-kun. We should do this more often, ne?" Her voice lilted in gentle teasing.

Sasuke said, "Aren't you going to go home?"

"I think I'll stay here tonight." She lifted her face to the background swell of family chatter. "My parents'll understand. It's going to stay warm all night long. Ideal, Sasuke-kun. I was kind of hoping you'd walk me home, but now I guess I'd rather stay here all night." Proud of her confident tone, she leaned back on her hands and lay down on the grass fully. In the distance she could the crickets.

"Sasuke-kun…" she started, slightly put off by the look he was giving her, "I can't sleep indoors tonight. It's a sin to waste an evening like this."

Ino stretched her back out on the crisp grass and closed her eyes, a pleasant feeling rocking her spine. "You don't have to stay any longer against your will. But I'm going to be here. With everyone else."

It took a million eternities, but Sasuke's steps finally pattered away, the bag of groceries swinging quietly at his side. He murmured something like "Good night" or "See you at training tomorrow" before he left. It could have even been, "I'm glad to be rid of you," but it made no difference because she wasn't focused on hearing him anymore.

For the longest time she laid there, breathing, in a trance not quite like sleeping. It was akin to meditation, but less… solitary. It was more like she was opening, perceptive to every ripple of the grass and every whimper of a baby.

The dancing shapes of dragons and snakes frolicked directly above her. Before she fell asleep, she took a deep breath and held it in her mouth, the cleanest air in the world.

**-**

The morning promised humidity again when Ino woke, but she couldn't bear to begrudge the weather because the atmosphere was so refreshing. A lone butterfly-shaped kite floated in the air though she couldn't detect any breeze, and soft tendrils of motherly conversation permeated the air from the families who had slept overnight.

They had all brought sleeping bags and slept in groups, making her wonder if anyone had stared at her sleeping alone on the grass. She sat up to gingerly fix her hair, slipping off the daisy-white ribbon and tucking it into her kunai pouch next to the origami butterfly. What time was it? At this rate, she might be late for training.

As if to remind her just in time, a figure approached in the distance—clearly a ninja; she recognized the stride.

It was Sasuke. She ought to have been surprised, but she could only feel glad.

She stood up just as he came near, carrying a partially-eaten breakfast bun in his hand. "Morning, Sasuke-kun! Where're you off to?" she asked, though she knew.

"Training." She lifted an eyebrow. "Shortcut," he elaborated.

"A strange one. I thought you usually took the rooftops."

He grunted noncommittally, then jerked toward the forests behind the park. She took the hint. "Well, I'd love to join you on the way, but I have to get breakfast down at the market first." She nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "Really. You just came this way to see me, right?" He frowned. "After how fun last night was."

"No. My team is training in the clearing behind this park today."

"Oh, humph. Still, I hope you didn't find last night too torturous."

"Half of the people in the market this morning asked me if I could take my shirt off again," he remarked.

She laughed suddenly. He glanced at her. Wind brushed against them, and Ino leaned into it towards him. Above, the butterfly kite flapped, the sequins on it glittering sun.

"So you had a wonderful time?" she teased, half-hopeful. "But it is nice to walk around like normal villagers just shopping and enjoying the summer, isn't it? Makes me realize how important it is for that to continue for them."

Just then the wind disappeared and the air stilled. The kite floating directly above faltered and then crashed to the ground in front of them. A small boy ran over to where they stood, a spool of string in his hand. Ino picked up the sequined kite and handed it back to him.

"Guess we have to get going. I'm getting really hungry and I'm sure we're both really late."

Sasuke was not looking at her. "Hey," he called, but his voice was directed to the little boy, who turned around. "You need this," he said, and picked up a part of the kite off to the side that had detached upon its fall. "Otherwise it'll fly crooked."

The boy accepted the piece of kite and grinned broadly. "I'll get Mama to fix it! Thank you, onii-san!"

Ino nudged Sasuke again happily. A wealth of untraceable affection rose in her like a cresting wave, and for a moment she was unspeakably glad for the boy beside her, as still as a statue but not as cold, and the little boy in front of her, so full of untarnished vitality.

When the feeling passed she gave Sasuke an extra-bright smile to make up for her moment of silence and then began to trudge towards the marketplace, walking backwards so she could still face him.

"Asuma's gonna yell at me. I really have to go eat. See you later, Sasuke-kun!"

He nodded, and she turned to face forward again. "Later, Ino."

She grinned to herself. The butterfly kite was flying high again, propelled by summer wind. When she stepped onto the concrete of the market square, it snatched the sunlight, and for a moment the market floor was struck by diamonds.


End file.
